Allan Johnson

Taming Your Stream of Consciousness

Posted on June 27, 2022August 20, 2022 by Allan Johnson in intention, mindfulness

The early American psychologist William James used the term ‘stream of consciousness’ to refer to the spontaneous flow of thoughts, images, sensations, and emotions that constantly assail us throughout the day. It is a kind of inner monologue–the chatter and twittering of the mind. Most of the time we are not really aware of our stream of consciousness, but it is always there: on the way to work, in the background of our favourite show, or when we are trying to sleep. It is a kind of inner narrative that helps us make sense of the world. We wander from one topic to the next so automatically that we are not even aware that we are thinking. It’s a kind of ‘default setting’ within us that comes to the fore if we are not careful.

Because our minds are constantly thinking and generating thoughts, we are subjected to a constant bombardment of thoughts, sensations, and emotions. Our stream of consciousness is not a direct or accurate reflection of ‘reality’, rather it is a reflection of our mindsets, our beliefs, and our assumptions. The stream of consciousness is a kind of chirping and ever-changing background noise that can be limiting and distracting. When negative, the stream of consciousness can pull us down and prevent us from achieving our goals and living a healthy and balanced life.

Our negative thoughts become a kind of feedback loop and we get stuck in a kind of loop of negativity. We get caught in a cycle where we notice that we are thinking about negative things, and these negative thoughts create negative feelings, which in turn cause us to have more negative thoughts. To overcome this we need to be able to steer the stream of consciousness in a more positive direction. We must recognise that have a choice to respond to the information of our stream of consciousness positively, negatively, or not at all.

One of the most important insights about the stream of consciousness is that it is not ‘me’. We tend to identify with the stream of consciousness and think of it as a kind of ‘I’, because ‘I’ am the character who seems to be having these thoughts. But the stream of consciousness is not really an ‘I’ or ‘me’, but rather a stream of mental activity that we tend to equate with ‘me’. But the stream of consciousness is not a representation of ‘me’, it is only a representation of the mind that is part of ‘me’. It is not your pure, deep, and pristine centre of consciousness.

Realising that the stream of consciousness is not ‘you’ is the first step to being able to better control and shape your thoughts, beliefs, assumptions, and emotions.
If the stream of consciousness is not ‘you’, then what is it? We can think of it kind of like an holographic self: a collection of thoughts, images, sensations, and emotions, but also a collection of habitual beliefs, assumptions, thought processes and ways of thinking. It is the part of us that seems to be able to experience and act on the world. Ask yourself, “If the voice of my stream of consciousness was another person, would I want to spend my time with them?”. The answer is usually a resounding ‘no’, because our stream of consciousness is usually incredibly boring, repetitive and negative.

We can learn to tame the stream of consciousness by seeing it as an “other” – as one of many voices within us. If we are able to become aware of the stream of consciousness, we can learn to change its tone and texture. We can begin to become aware of when we are having negative, unhelpful and unproductive thoughts and we can choose to let go of these thoughts or engage with them. We can learn to reframe our thoughts so that they are less negative, less self-limiting and less stressful. Instead of being stuck in a cycle of negative thoughts, we can choose to take control of the stream of consciousness and direct it in a positive direction.

Since our stream of consciousness has a tendency to be incredibly repetitive and return to the same thoughts and feelings over and over again, one of the best ways to break the stream of consciousness is to have new thoughts, try new things, and break out of our comfort zone. When we have new and positive experiences, we can realise that our stream of consciousness is not necessarily an accurate reflection of reality, but can instead be a reflection of our mindset and our own limiting beliefs and assumptions. When we have new and positive experiences, we can allow ourselves to be more present and aware of the present moment.

Download your free 21-day course in The Path of Mindfulness. In this life-changing 21-day mindfulness journey, Dr Allan Kilner-Johnson guides you through a series of self-guided mindfulness exercises and shows you how and when to bring mindfulness into your daily life.

How to Lead a Lifestyle that Supports Your Values

Posted on June 24, 2022August 20, 2022 by Allan Johnson in intention, wellbeing

Your values guide your decisions and set the rhythm of your life. They are the reason you do what you do. A lifestyle that supports your values means that you live your authentic version of yourself in all areas of your life, including at work, with your family, and other aspects of your life that are important to you. It leaves you with greater energy, passion, and power. It is a lifestyle that lets you live in the moment because you are going your own way.

I have found four crucial elements that help you do this: Purpose, Alignment, Strengths and Courage. Let us look at these elements a little more closely.

Purpose.

Your life has a purpose. That purpose is to live your values and be an authentic version of yourself. To learn about yourself, you first need to get in touch with your feelings. You have to listen to your feelings and learn to trust your feelings. You will know that you are in touch with your feelings when you start to notice your feelings. You will know that you are living your destiny when you remain true to yourself in your thoughts, feelings, actions, relationships, and beliefs. The more you learn about what is important to you, the more you will know what is important to you and the more you will know what is right for you. When you follow what is right for you, then you are true to yourself. This is a very important part of learning to love yourself.

Alignment.

Alignment is more than just doing what seems right in the moment. To align yourself with your higher values, you first need to create a vision of who you really want to be, with a clear understand of what is important to you and what you want to achieve in your life. Having a clear vision is not a one-time process. It takes time and effort, and you need to make it a daily exercise. To live an authentic life, it is important that you let your purpose guide your future. It is important to be true to yourself in every moment of your life. Remember that your only goal in life is to live your values and truly embody them. In turn, your values become the guide for your actions. If you are in tune with your values, then you are on the right path. You make the decisions that are right for you. You are living the life that is right for you. You are living your values. You are true to yourself.

Strengths.

The more you walk your own path, the more you will discover your own strengths, and the more you discover your own strengths, the more confident you will be in yourself. When you are true to yourself, your value-led actions build upon your strengths and help you to develop strength in new areas. When you live your values and use your strengths, you feel comfortable in your skin. You feel confident. You feel excited. You feel alive. This is a very important part of the life you love. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dreams. The more you follow your own path and the more you believe in your own strength, the more you will love yourself and the more you will allow yourself to love others.

Courage.

It takes a lot of courage to follow your own path. You will need to be courageous in all areas of your life. The courage to stand up for your values is not easy. It is a lifelong journey. It is a journey of self-acceptance, self-love, and self-discovery. And, most importantly, It is a journey of constant growth. Through connecting to your inherent strength, you can hone the courage to take risks and stay true to yourself. There will be people who do not agree with you. There will be people who feel threatened by your authenticity. There will be people who will criticise and judge you. If you have the courage to stand up for your values and do what is right for you, then you can live a life that matches your values.

When you are in tune with these values, your life becomes more embodied and authentic, and you develop more confidence to pursue greater goals and aspirations in life. Lasting success comes when you consistently make the right choices every day. You will find that you have more time, more energy, and more freedom to be yourself.

How to Accept Yourself Without Losing Yourself in the Process

Posted on June 23, 2022August 20, 2022 by Allan Johnson in compassion, wellbeing

For many of us, it can be difficult to accept the parts of ourselves that we do not like. We are often at war with ourselves, constantly fighting with the voices in our head. Maybe we struggle with the way we look, maybe we struggle with the way we act, maybe we struggle with the way we think.

Issues around self-acceptance are complex. They arise from our own experiences, our judgements of ourselves and the way we compare ourselves to other people. If we have been wounded, suffered trauma, or been treated badly, we easily get stuck in the past or judge ourselves harshly. This can lead to an inner critic that is constantly with us, telling us that we are not good enough and not worthy of love.

The way we treat ourselves has a big impact on the way we treat other people. If we constantly blame ourselves, it is unlikely that we will treat other people with compassion and respect. If we compare ourselves to other people, we will see ourselves as losers.

The goal is to be with yourself, accept yourself and be yourself. To be a different kind of person, to have a more positive attitude, to have a more compassionate attitude, to have a more loving relationship with yourself. It’s important to acknowledge that accepting yourself can be difficult if you do not know how. Here are five simple ways to start:

1. Appreciate your uniqueness.

Like each of us, you are unique. You are one of a kind. Your life matters and it impacts the lives of others. This may seem like a very basic idea, but it is an idea that is not always easy to live by. We may know this on an intellectual level, but the message does not always penetrate to the deeper level of our minds. At a deep level we can feel disconnected and isolated. We can feel that we do not belong. When we do not feel like we belong, we find it difficult to feel connected and valued.

How can we accept ourselves? There is no magic formula. However, there are some very useful principles to keep in mind. First of all, we should remember that we are all still developing. This means that we are not perfect. Nor will we ever be. We are all imperfect, and trying to change that is a fruitless endeavour. We do not have to be perfect to accept ourselves. On the contrary, if we accept ourselves, we are more likely to want to improve. If we accept ourselves at the core, we can also accept the fact that we are constantly growing and developing and that our lives have value. When we accept ourselves, we are able to start from a place of appreciation.

2. Stop comparing yourself to others.

It is natural for us to compare ourselves to other people. We compare our appearance, intelligence, personality, skills and abilities. We compare our social status and position in life. We compare our talents, our success and our failures. We compare everything! You are you, and no one is like you. No matter how similar two people are, they are never exactly the same. They have their own thoughts, feelings, habits, behaviours and beliefs. Even if you have a twin, he or she will be different from you, even if those differences are small. And if you are the only person in the world, you still have your own unique personality, thoughts, feelings, habits, behaviours and beliefs.

3. Focus on what you have, not on what you do not have.

The more we focus on what we do not have, the more unhappy, ungrateful, and dissatisfied we become. We believe that happiness and contentment come from outside ourselves. We believe that we must have certain things to be happy and that we must meet certain standards before we can be content or happy. In fact, this is not true. Happiness and contentment come from within. It comes from our thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of the world.

The more we focus on what we do not have, the unhappier we will be. The more we focus on what we do not have, the less able we are to accept ourselves. Our self-esteem is closely linked to our ability to appreciate and accept ourselves. The more we focus on our strengths and our good points, the more we will feel good about ourselves. The more we can accept ourselves as human beings, with all our positive and negative qualities, the more we will be able to love ourselves.

4. Give yourself some breathing space.

One of the biggest challenges in life is to give ourselves the space to be ourselves. We are so busy trying to please others, live up to our responsibilities and achieve everything else in life that we forget to take care of ourselves. We forget to allow ourselves to feel and express our feelings. We may even deny our feelings and refuse to acknowledge that we have feelings at all. If this is the case, you may find it difficult to accept yourself and your feelings.

You may also find it difficult to accept your own needs and desires. We are often very hard on ourselves. If we do not give ourselves enough space, then we do not allow ourselves to be ourselves. We do not allow ourselves to be human. We do not allow ourselves to make mistakes. We do not allow ourselves to have emotions. We do not allow ourselves to fall short of our own expectations. We do not allow ourselves to have feelings of anger, anxiety or fear. We do not allow ourselves to be vulnerable. If we do not allow ourselves to be human, then it can be difficult to accept ourselves in our full humanity.

5. Focus on what is important to you.

Once we have accepted ourselves, we can begin to live a life that is in line with our values and principles. We can begin to focus on what is important to us. We can begin to focus on what we want instead of everything we think we should want. The more we focus on what is important to us, the more we will be able to accept ourselves. We will accept who we are, and we will accept what we have. We will accept our past, and we will accept our present and our future.

The more we accept ourselves, the more we can love ourselves and the more we can love others. When it comes to happiness and success in life, it is important to remember that there is no right and wrong. There is no should or should not and no right or wrong ways to be happy and successful. If we want to be happy and successful, we have to find the right path for us. We have to find a way that is in line with what is important to us and with what makes us feel good. This is the best path we can take. This is the only way that will work for us.

The Many Benefits of Meditation

Posted on June 22, 2022January 13, 2024 by Allan Johnson in meditation, mindfulness

When you meditate, you learn to become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, observing them more clearly and becoming more aware of the further thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that may arise in you as a result. There are many different meditation techniques. Some techniques help you to observe your thoughts or emotions, others help you to better understand your reactions, and still others help you to become aware of the power of the mind and the reactions of the mind. Some meditation techniques simply help you to relax and become aware of what is going on inside you. With all these techniques the same thing happens: you learn to observe what is happening in the present moment and what is going on inside you, and you can learn to accept yourself and your reactions as they arise in you. When we are aware of our automatic reactions, we have the opportunity to create new ways of being and new ways of reacting that bring more compassion and love into our lives.

You have probably heard that meditation can make you more relaxed and bring about a sense of peace and well-being within you, that it helps you sleep better, or that it makes you more productive. Research has shown that meditation can help reduce stress and improve your concentration, focus and memory, and that the practise of meditation can help you become more aware of your thoughts, feelings and reactions and how these thoughts, feelings and reactions can affect your physical body. If you have suffered from depression or are currently depressed, meditation can help you develop new ways of being and perceiving the world around you. If you struggle with addictions, meditation can help you to live in the present moment and learn to let go of old patterns and find new ways of being. Meditation can help you become more aware of your moods and learn to respond to them more positively. For example, if you struggle with feelings of guilt and shame, meditation can help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings and learn to have compassion for yourself and develop a better understanding of the moods you experience and how those moods affect your actions. (If you are interested, I will be releasing an online course this summer that covers all the details of the scientific research on mindfulness and meditation).

Meditation is about learning to control and focus your attention. When you meditate, you have the opportunity to become more aware of and observe your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. You can learn to accept them when they arise and be with them by observing the thoughts and feelings and accepting them as they are. You can also learn to be more compassionate and understanding, and you can learn to be kinder to yourself. Through meditation you learn to live moment to moment, you learn to observe your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and you learn to understand that while these thoughts, feelings, and behaviours may have influenced the past, they no longer have the power to influence the present or the future. Past perceptions and destructive ways of thinking and behaving, even those we have developed over many years, can be changed.

Meditation requires practise. It takes time to learn the techniques and you will often need to return to meditation to practise and gain the skills you need to become more aware of your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. You may feel that you are only aiming for one change through meditation, but you will find that you are making several changes through meditation. For example, you may learn to do more for the people you love, you may learn to act more positively, or you may become more aware of how your body is affected by your thoughts and feelings. You can also learn to handle certain situations better; you can reduce some of the negative effects of your thoughts and emotions and you can understand how powerful the mind is. Through meditation we can learn to let go of old habits and become more aware of our thoughts, feelings and behaviours and the way these thoughts, feelings and behaviours can affect our physical body and our emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. We can learn to let go of the way we have been reacting to these thoughts and feelings. We can learn to let go of the way we have judged ourselves and others and learn to bring more compassion and more love into our lives.

How to Create Your Perfect Meditation Space

Posted on June 20, 2022August 20, 2022 by Allan Johnson in habits, meditation, mindfulness

Meditation spaces are not always rooms in the true sense of the word; often they are just quiet corners in your house or flat where you can retreat to reflect, relax, and meditate. Meditation spaces are places where you can unwind at the end of a stressful day and collect your thoughts the beginning of a busy week. This can be in your living room or bedroom, in your garden, or on the beach. In the midst of modern life, the ability to create space for meditation can be the key to positive change. When we are able to create a space for ourselves – a quiet space, a space to gather our thoughts, a space to relax – we become more balanced, more at peace, and better able to stay in the present moment.

It is important to slow down and take time to collect your thoughts and relax your mind.
Finding and creating a quiet space for meditation is an essential part of meditation and key to a positive lifestyle. Make sure you have enough space around you. You do not want to feel too crowded. The space should be conducive to meditation and provide you with the conditions that supportive for your complete relaxation.

No matter how small your home is, it is possible to set up a meditation space where you can find peace and quiet. If you have a garden, a good place to meditate would be on the patio or in the garden. If you live in a flat, studio, or small house, a quiet corner or even the bathroom can work perfectly. Some people prefer a meditation space in the kitchen or in their bedroom. The most important thing is to find a space that suits you and your need for a peaceful meditation experience and for a quiet and relaxed environment.

It is also important to look for a space that is free from clutter such as papers, books, or other items that might distract you. The purpose of meditation is to develop calmness and relaxation, which allows us to be mindful of our thoughts, emotions and physical sensations, so clear the space around you and make it as clutter-free as possible. Make sure your meditation space is a comfortable temperature. Your body temperature drops when you meditate and you need to avoid drafts as they can make your meditation unpleasant. When you meditate, find a light environment that suits your needs. If you find the light too bright, try candlelight.

Your meditation room does not need much in the way of furniture. You can use a small cushion or chair to sit on while you meditate. If you sit on a chair, make sure it is comfortable and you can easily sit upright. If you choose to meditate on the floor, make sure you have appropriate padding to support you. One of the main reasons people choose meditation cushions is because they allow you to sit upright and keep your back straight, which makes meditation easier. There are conventional meditation cushions and stools, but all you really need is a throw pillow that raises your hips above your knees for a more comfortable sitting posture. The cushion should be comfortable and supportive, not too soft to give you the support you need, but not too firm or hard either. There are many people who prefer to meditate lying on the floor, bed or couch and they find this position much more comfortable and relaxing. Experiment with different positions and find out which one works best for you.

You do not need anything to meditate, but to make your meditation space your own, you might want to invest in candles or incense, or perhaps a potted plant or some flowers. Some people like to use incense because it creates the right atmosphere and helps them relax. Whatever you choose, make sure it suits you and does not just look nice. You can make your space as simple as you like, but if you set it up to suit you and your needs, you’ll be more likely to use it.

Whether you prefer to meditate in the early morning or in the middle of the night, you need to set up your meditation space so that you can really feel comfortable there. If you meditate in the evening or at night, prepare your body by spending some time in the shower or bath This will help you relax and be ready for the meditation experience. It also helps you to relieve the stress of the day so that you can enter your meditation room with a calm and relaxed state of mind. Before you sit down, go slowly and pause a few times to allow your body and mind to adjust to the new environment. This will help you to experience the moment with a minimum of inner turmoil. It will help you prepare your mind, bringing your body and mind into harmony.